To promote student safety and community awareness, the Sheriff's Office will be conducting additional patrols as part of the School Bus Safety Enforcement Program, according to a news release. The program is part of the Governor's Office of Crime Control & Prevention.

At the start and close of each school day, deputies will be alert for drivers illegally passing school buses while concentrating on school bus stops, bus routes and traffic at local schools.

The Sheriff's Office reminds motorists:

• When driving in neighborhoods with school zones, watch for children who may be thinking about getting to school, but may not be thinking of getting there safely.

• Slow down. Watch for children walking in the street, especially if there are no sidewalks in the neighborhood.

• Watch for children playing and congregating near bus stops.

• Be alert. Children arriving late for the bus may dart into the street without looking for traffic.

The School Bus Safety Enforcement Fund provides grants each year for local law enforcement agencies to address the problem of drivers illegally passing school buses. The Sheriff's Office received $19,500 for enforcement during the 2011-12 school year and cited 16 motorists for failing to stop for the flashing red lights of a school bus.

But the Sheriff's Office said enforcement is not enough and advises parents to teach their children to follow these common practices to make school bus transportation safer:

• Get to the bus stop at least five minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive.

• When the bus approaches, stand at least "three giant steps," or six feet, away from the curb and line up away from the street.

• Wait until the bus stops, the door opens, and the driver says that it's OK before stepping onto the bus.

• If you have to cross the street in front of the bus, walk on the sidewalk or along the side of the road to a point at least "five giant steps," or ten feet, ahead of the bus before you cross. Be sure that the driver can see you and you can see the bus driver.

• Use the handrails to avoid falls. When exiting the bus, be careful that clothing with drawstrings and book bags with straps don't get caught in the handrails or doors.

Carroll County Public Schools joined with local law enforcement agencies Friday to announce the Adopt-A-School Program, which aims to increase school security and enhance health and safety instruction with the participation of police officers.

Ashlynn Diggs is excited to hit the playground for recess at Cranberry Station Elementary School this year as a first-grader, but before she can jump on the swing set the Westminster Police Department helped prepare her for classes Tuesday.

Imagine: You've spent all morning and most of the afternoon on a hiking and kayaking trip, your muscles aching that good kind of ache and your folding chair calling to you as you return to camp in the orange-shifted light of the early evening.

Easter is supposed to be the time of spring and rebirth, but families attending the first wave of community Easter egg hunts Saturday morning were greeted with an unwelcome additional challenge to the search for multicolored treats — snow.